Patricia

We are travelling to Corsica in October. I have heard that sometimes it is not too safe. <BR>Is this true? What upscale hotels has anyone <BR>stayed in??

joelle

Corsica is a great island to discover and you should not experience any special problems, as the incidents are mostly directed towards the representatives of the French authorities. Tourists are consequently welcome, specially foreign ones. I went there in May and did not experience any problems, even if my family name is not one of the most popular at the moment on the island... <BR>In terms of hotels, we stayed at the Miramar in Propriano which offers a great view on the sea but which is located just on the main road. However windows are sound-proof and there is A/C. Other good addresses would be Le Maquis in Porticcio (near Ajaccio) and the Cala Rossa hotel near Porto-Vecchio (this latter one is quite expensive, being considered as top-scale). <BR>

cherie

Yes, but you must have one eye open. <BR>(Couldn't resist.)

jodie

Political events are hard to predict, obviously, but you might want to keep an eye on recent trial of terrorist who assassinated a Fr. official (and I believe a beachgoing tourist -- anyone have the details) on Corsica. Last month, Paris was bristling with security on the first day of the trial. I haven't kept up with the story since returning home, and it's hard to find on US media -- but Agence France Press and Yahoo France might have info that's archived as well as current. Probably won't affect you by October, but you never know what's going to bubble up as a trouble spot.

jodie

Okay, it was a little irresponsible to post that without better details, but I have checked a few news stories and found that: a French prefect was shot in 1998 (no tourists involved); and in mid-May, the French brought in 4 associates of a prime suspect for questioning, which brought protests and threats. Then last Friday, there was a bomb blast near a hotel in the city of Calvi -- no injuries although the hotel was evacuated, and the Corsican independence group claimed "credit" for it. <BR> <BR>For what it's worth, any incidents aimed at curbing tourism tend to be focused on early and mid-summer. Didn't mean to be quite so alarmist. But come September, if you have qualms, check the international news sites and search on Corsica (or "Corse" of course!). Or post another inquiry here, for sure!

Vincent

As far as I know, never has a Corsican bombing killed "blindly". They normally bomb the French equivalent to the IRS or gendarmeries, or pizza places that refuse to pay the "revolutionary tax", and occasionnally shoot a targeted civil servant. But anyway those "separatist" groups are actually mafias, and their interest is not to keep the tourists off the island. ANd if you watch the statistics closely, summer is always a very calm season, as far as bombings are concerned. Joke apart, you'll be safe in Corsica, and one of the good aspects of this "situation" is that the island has escaped the building greed of the Riviera or Torremolinos and kept its wild beauty : separatist groups have bombed dozens of villas or hotels on the shore.